Why you NEED Dirac with Mathias Johansson

Рет қаралды 17,699

2 жыл бұрын

In this episode, Ron and Randy chat with the brilliant Mathias Johansson about why you need Dirac!
Also, Dirac has graciously given our listeners a discount code for 25% off Room Correction Suite (Stereo or Multichannel), active through 30 November, 2021.
How to redeem:
Go to the Dirac Online store and click on Dirac Live Room Correction Suite www.dirac.com/online-store/di...
If you click on the “Buy Now” button for Stereo or Multichannel and enter the code Ron&Randy, you’ll get 25 % off!
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Recommended Speaker List
Around $100 (These prices will fluctuate between $75 - $150)
Sony SSCS5 - Lively amzn.to/3pZNnGk
Pioneer AJ First Gen - Laid Back
Neumi BS5 -Neutral amzn.to/3q0SR3B
Around $200
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ - Crystal Clear and Punchy emotiva.com?aff=9
Elac Debut b5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/2WPNQxw
Wharfedale Diamond 11.2 (In and Out of Stock) - Laid Back/Bassy/Detailed amzn.to/37W8hPA
JBL Stage A130 - Neutral/Great All Arounder at $179 the best value amzn.to/3t7gOHe
Around $400
Klipsch RP600M - Neutral amzn.to/3pBoXCf (This speaker’s price can fluctuate between $440-630 which is really dumb)
Jamo C93ii Bit - Boosted on Top amzn.to/3beIG6F (Can also be found cheaper at Crutchfield)
Q Acoustics 3030i - Neutral with Punch - amzn.to/2OQkpLo
Around $500
SVS Prime bit.ly/2LozJgF
Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 bit.ly/2ZckoD9
Around $600
Elac Uni-Fi UB5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/3s3srPG
Elac Debut Reference - Buttery but Detailed amzn.to/39bt6WC
Polk Reserve R100 - Neutral
Aperion Novus - Neutral and probably the best desktop speaker one can get $599 bit.ly/2Q1H9rW
Aperion Novus Open Box $449 bit.ly/3us8zGx
Wharfedale Diamonds Lush and Detailed amzn.to/3aBAso0 Come as singles
Recommended Amp List
Under $100
Aiyima A07 - Neutral and Full amzn.to/3g9YLNf
Around $130
SMSL AD18 - DAC/Amp Lively on top but solid tone controls amzn.to/3rVZxkN
SMSL SA300 $140 amzn.to/3u83oLs
Around $250
SMSL DA-9 Balanced Amp amzn.to/34SdbLs
Around $400
Emotiva TA-100 - DAC, Phono Stage, Pre Outs - Balanced and Tasty emotiva.com?aff=9
Vista Audio Spark www.vista-audio.com/products.htm
Recommended DACs
Ifi Zen DAC amzn.to/2T3wuyY
FX D01 amzn.to/3d9GY6U
SMSL SU8s amzn.to/2SWTGiw
Denafrips Ares 2 www.denafrips.com/ares
Subs
Emotiva SE8 emotiva.com?aff=9
Emotiva SE12 emotiva.com?aff=9
SVS SB1000 Pro bit.ly/3scmwsc

Пікірлер: 65

@damianzaninovich4900 2 жыл бұрын

Nice job guys. Refreshing to hear the interviewers let the person talk.

@m4nc1n1 2 жыл бұрын

Randy don't hesitate. Get it. If someone already has the 2x4HD like me, you can buy the firmware upgrade for $199. But you do need the unit. It makes it sooooo much easier to implement the corrections that REW or Dirac makes. You are a HT guy like me so absolutely get it and see the power it gives you. Amazing what it does for bass. I am flat down to 15hz on my 2 SVS PB1000 Pro's. I am only using REW right now because Dirac for the 4x2HD is fairly new but I am ordering it. Just make sure you get the HD. The original 2x4 which is half the price is very limited and fixed with the HD

@maxwellclark7054 2 жыл бұрын

When you turn on the dirac live, you realize the ocean is a BIG place.................UMMPH. I felt that.

@doctorbritain9632 2 жыл бұрын

I bought a NAD M10 last year and was sceptical about Dirac. My plan was to upgrade my speakers as well except now I keep putting this off because Dirac makes such a huge difference.

@dicmccoy 2 жыл бұрын

I'm excited for CAM Fam members to try out Dirac and experience what I'm experiencing with my system. Tip: If you're using the Full Frequency Version, give it a week of brain burn first before making judgement. It will sound very weird at first. After a week of listening, disable Dirac and you'll be mind blown on how good Dirac is, and possibly throw up on how much instrument bleeding there is without it. Warning: You will be forever tarnished and will never be able to listen to a system without Dirac.

@chrisfluke459 2 жыл бұрын

How much tweaking did you do to your adjustment curves post-filter?

@dicmccoy 2 жыл бұрын

@@chrisfluke459 I have the NAD C658 and it is weird with bass as soon as you enable subs. With the subs off, there's tons of bass. But with the subs enabled there is next to nothing. I thought it was phase cancellation, but after checking, that wasn't the issue. It's just how that unit does it for some weird reason. So after some playing around with the curves, I wasn't a fan of the progressive downward default curve Dirac does. You can download custom curves from NAD, Harman and others but you need a computer to load them. My computer is too old and incompatible, so I'm stuck using the Android App for my NAD. I found what sounded the best was to have all the bass frequencies at 0db and from 100 or 150hz to 300 Hz is where I have it sloped down -6db. So 300hz - 20khz is flat at -6db and I had to bump my sub volume gains up after running Dirac to match the amount of bass with just the towers running. I have multiple curves saved like 300hz-20khz at -4db, -2db, 0db. All depending on how much bass I want. But having it flat from 300hz to 20khz sounds the best to my ears. The progressive slope down makes the top end sound dull. Also dropping frequencies is always better because this way you're equalizing below your nulls. You can't fix nulls with boosting frequencies. So now if you drop them to your null point, now you won't have that dip your frequency response. It will be flat as a board.

@chrisfluke459 2 жыл бұрын

@@dicmccoy I recently got the c658 as well and haven’t quite gotten the results I was expecting with Dirac. It seems like w/ my Dirac filter enabled, everything is recessed and less dynamic. Especially the bass. I had read about sub output problems w/ early units, but there’s little mention of it on reviews later than 2020 & I have plenty of bass w/ Dirac disabled. I think I’ll remeasure and play w/ the curve a bit. Thanks for the heads up on the downloads, I’m going to look into those, as well. Looking forward to getting it dialed in and experiencing the great results everyone seems to have!

@dicmccoy 2 жыл бұрын

@@chrisfluke459 sometimes it just sounds weird after taking a new set of measurements. I'm not sure if it's something to do with the supplies mic or what. I keep on having to revert back to an older set of measurements I took, then it sounds amazing. I only got my unit only 4 months ago or so.

@Psyphonyx_Life 2 жыл бұрын

The talking over each other portion to start off made it discouraging to keep listening.. I get that it's a relaxed show, though, for me as a listener, that's a tough one to chew through. Very nice to have the company come on to talk about their product and reasons for using the system in sound systems in rooms. Thanks for hosting guys !!

@mikeortiz2139 2 жыл бұрын

That looks like a topic that could be a video on its own. A Dirac Live implementation video, some extra info on set up and equipment needed, etc.

@brochg 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely fascinating! Now I need to learn how to implement this into my existing gear.

@JohnScheppler 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for bringing us this information and asking some great questions Randy.

@odwatchguy 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Randy and Ron for getting Mathias Johansson on your podcast. Some great information and questions for someone with a lot of knowledge on sound delivery. The savings of not buying room correction materials and going with Dirac based correction seems like the better overall answer.

@f1shb0n3d 2 жыл бұрын

Great interview and Dirac Live is amazing, totally transformed my listening experience. Randy - jump on the Dirac boat asap, the ocean is big! :)

@greenbeginner3353 2 жыл бұрын

20:22 This statement really shows a reasonable view of the issues on the part of Dirac. Room size / dimensions / treatment is a powerful aspect of good sound but it has some real challenges. Now, team that with Dirac and its challenges and you’ve got a team effort working toward excellence.

@rjzlwop3153 2 жыл бұрын

That was a ton of info holy smokes my head is spinning LOL great video and thank you so much glad to see the R&R twins back together

@greenbeginner9221 2 жыл бұрын

30:16 Listen to Matthias' response to this question. People who think that audio company owners are rich may be surprised. The guy is fighting the same home audio battles as the rest of us. A few more licensing sales may change it but, right now even Matthias hopes for a man cave.

@inac9434 2 жыл бұрын

Well done guys, good stuff

@dominikalbers6983 2 жыл бұрын

I bought a minidsp ddrc-24 with Dirac Live last weekend to build a system with an old Kenwood poweramp. Can't wait to set it up, pretty excited how old an new go together!

@shanestephenson8423 2 жыл бұрын

Great video guys, I've just ordered a mini DSP SDL. I'm getting excited about it's arrival now after this video.🎧🙂👍

@srpsrp3649 2 жыл бұрын

I bit the bullet and went minidsp and dirac live and I couldn’t be happier. I have la scalas and a schitt freya+ and couldn’t be happier The difference is amazing. Best $500 or whatever it was, I’ve spent lately Highly recommended

@tallpaull9367 2 жыл бұрын

The recommended microphone: miniDSP UMIK-1. other options: Dayton Audio EMM-6 Beyerdynamic MM-1 Earthworks M30 ADC-SA-4140I

@PlaybackMansion 2 жыл бұрын

The DDRC-24 and UMIK are fantastic. It's like having the world's greatest crossover designer and room acoustics designer in a tiny tiny box. I'm looking forward to more R and R videos on DIRAC. Make sure to get the remote control! Randy if you want to use your current DAC there are digital output options like the DDRC-22D, and DDRC-88D. Of course if you want to use the DDRC-88D as a crossover too- you'd need an additional stereo DAC for each driver pairing

@matthewhilty4209 2 жыл бұрын

This is great. One of the reasons I use headphones is because room issues always bother me. I'm thinking of getting a miniDSP now and try to play with my main system.

@louiesipes2257 2 жыл бұрын

Great interview. Now I’m wanting to try this but I need Randy to come up with a simple answer. 😂

@ivanmelkner7704 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, great video! I'm using NAD C658 with ELAC Navis ARF-51. Dirac helped with few problems in my room, 40 Hz , no symetrical room setup (one speaker in the corner) etc. Flat response is a bit borring you have to increase bass frequencies. Still learning and still playing with curves.

@hifiman4562 2 жыл бұрын

I have Dirac in my SUV. Getting ready to turn it on, after many hours of setting up my dsp.

@edwardwest4479 2 жыл бұрын

If I had, say, a Bluesound PowerNode, and used the digital out of the PowerNode to go into the MiniDSP DDRC24 hardware unit, could I then go digital in back into the PowerNode, then analog out of the PowerNode to speakers?

@greenbeginner9221 2 жыл бұрын

I'd like to know what the Dirac people recommend for amplification and loudspeakers. To control impulse response, you're going to need some high current amps and speakers with a waterfall graph that looks like a cliff.

@m4nc1n1 2 жыл бұрын

MiniDSP baby! Biggest boost to bass you will ever make for $300! (2x4HD and UMIK-1)

@Audfile 2 жыл бұрын

He says the driver is a spring and it keeps moving after the pulse of a drum hit. He doesn't explain how Dirac solves this. By curtailing some data?

@superspeeder 10 ай бұрын

Looking into the MiniDSP Flex. ASSUMPTION: The difference between Dirac on your PC and on the Flex would be two channel processing vs four. In theory this makes a big difference in crossover regions where two channels need to blend together. Am I thinking about this correctly?

@samk.871 2 жыл бұрын

What about getting live room room correction room suite on my windows PC and use headphones, how that correction will work with headphones when he mentioned USB microphone?

@sidesup8286 2 жыл бұрын

Would that room correction work for Larry's speakers which hang from the ceiling on a trapeze? Also Larry's little friend from the circus, the midget, his ears when sitting down are even further below woofer level than Larry's ears when he's sitting. How would that work?

@peterdesmidt8742 2 жыл бұрын

I use Dirac with a Minidsp SHD. It really does make a huge positive difference in my system.

@arrowzen7433 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting. Would definately consider implementing into current setup - but how? - and does it limit resolution? - will it work w MQA and DSD or only PCM?

@welderfixer 2 жыл бұрын

I'm getting new speakers (second hand) and now I'll have to get a newer laptop with HDMI output to try out DIRAC(trial version) on my system. Even with the discount DIRAC is not affordable for me or most folks.

@charliebravo8036 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! Thanks to all three of you! I purchased a Minidsp 2×4HD. I'm haven't had a chance to integrate it or the time to wrap my mind around its application - I believe there's a way to upgrade to DIRAC via software or firmware. I thought about sending it to Randy to review first. Lol!

@charliebravo8036 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for bringing up Minidsp, Randy! If you own a Minidsp 2×4HD, you can upgrade via Minidsp for an additional $199 - you have to have the Minidsp UMIK 1 ($130ish). I'm not sure if you can apply the 25% off...

@simpsonbergman2185 2 жыл бұрын

Can Dirac live be run on a MacBook to listen to Spotify? (With USB output from laptop to an external DAC).

@larryh9525 2 жыл бұрын

I would like to see a follow-up video on how to implement Dirac on a Windows 10 PC that's also being used as the front-end for an external DAC. I thought Randy's question about his favorite DAC would get the conversation in that area. I went to the Dirac website and couldn't find anything that showed in simple terms (like a block diagram) where this would fit into the signal chain. Getting an affordable solution, especially for two-channel configurations would open up a wide variety of integrated/power amp options. I'm currently using an early version of Yamaha's YAPO that makes a fantastic difference in my system. What's interesting is that the problems it fixed were all in the region below 500hz, which is the region that Dirac licenses to the audio manufacturers.

@alm5693 2 жыл бұрын

Randy asked great questions. Loved the question about whether the processor would wipe out the unique sound of all the equipment that you love. Have you found an answer over the last 5 months? I'd put money on the wipe out.

@NeilBlanchard 2 жыл бұрын

Randy - the DDRC-24 only has analog outputs, so you can't use your DAC of choice. The DDRC-22D at $800 seems to be the least expensive that has a digital (coax) output.

@johnnycashlives316 2 жыл бұрын

Cheap audio man could you please recommend a cd player????

@BFArch0n Жыл бұрын

I have found after toying with it today, it "cleans up" the sound and especially the center Soundstage focus area and really laser locks in in place, but seemingly at the cost of an overall wider sound stage. Overall it seems to pull away a lot of the sound in the music so I feel like I'm missing out. I prefer without but I'm a novice so what do I know. Lol

@moniack Жыл бұрын

I just got an Onkyo NR7100 over the weekend, and have some disappointed with center image- it's too wide.. I used a laptop for calibration with the mini dsp mic. I noticed right away on "Hurt" that Johnny's voice was not dead center. I suppose I'll try it with the mic included with the AVR and see if that helps. If so, I'll load that cal into one of the slots. It may be some kind of time alignment issue with the PC. Maybe it's good for movies (it does seem great), and not for stero listening.

@duranarts 2 жыл бұрын

I get the value of these podcasts but it wouldn't hurt to add some screenshots to coincide with the stuff discussed.

@thepickyaudiophile 2 жыл бұрын

If you love the Denafrips dacs and plan on running a dual dac setup with a Dirac front end for separate processing of subwoofers and mains (say using a MiniDSP SHD Studio), be aware that the dacs have been tested to have an audio buffer that is not constant. If this is true, keeping two in sync, could prove hard. Maybe Alvin can advise.

@pnddesign 2 жыл бұрын

great question. The latency between the two DAC is probably not perfect.

@mattgiunt 2 жыл бұрын

So you buy the room correction suite downloaded to your iMac. You connect UMIC mike to iMac and run measurements however all my speakers run off my yamaha 2080 receiver.How do I get Dirac results into my Yamaha to play connected speakers with the Dirac corrections in place? Im so new at this I know Im missing something..Waiting for Pioneer receiver with Dirac might be an easier choice.

@obergfamily9049 2 жыл бұрын

Heya Matt, well, the easiest way to explain it is after you do your measurement with the mic and you've loaded what you want (and or configured it) into the DSP while its connected to your computer via USB: you then place the MiniDSP between your source and the amp. Look this up on ebay (miniDSP DDRC-24 & UMIK-1 Combination with Full Dirac Live 3.x Perpetual License) and the seller has provided a little diagram of how its all connected. Cheers!

@mattgiunt 2 жыл бұрын

@@obergfamily9049 thanks

@synebridge 2 жыл бұрын

The way I do it is without any additional hardware. My setup is the same as yours. I have nothing more than the computer running audio via optical cable to my receiver (I also have a Yamaha). There is nothing more that you need if you use the studio desktop version of Dirac Live. The processing is done from the system-wide desktop application, which goes out of the soundcard to the receiver/amp. The studio version of Dirac is what you want here. It comes with the desktop app and a VST plugin that you can use if you do any audio work inside of a DAW. In that scenario, it can correct your studio room as well - from the DAW output.

@mattgiunt 2 жыл бұрын

@@synebridge Thanks

@rogerreynolds7292 2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure how to reconcile Dirac with "cheap" audio. What's the "cheapest" way to implement Dirac in a 7.1 environment? Find an old NAD 758?

@kaneda7katsuragi 2 жыл бұрын

minidsp??

@bolobos 2 жыл бұрын

I'm an audiophile who loves learning about quantum mechanics.... Next time y'all chat with Dirac folks, could y'all ask about Paul Dirac and their inspiration in naming their company after him?

@meshplates 2 жыл бұрын

I had a miniDSP SHD DAC which is a Dirac equipped unit. Sold it.

@richardsaila8073 2 жыл бұрын

Why?

@m4nc1n1 2 жыл бұрын

Randy if your get it let me know. I am a Patreon and can walk you through the bumps in the beginning. We can do a Zoom or something. It is a learning curve but much easier if someone walks you through it. Or you can watch 20 KZfaq tutorials and trial and error like I did lol

@joelopez7459 2 жыл бұрын

You want it but neeeeed it?

@madcrabber1113 2 жыл бұрын

Guess I'm going to have to learn how to use a computer for something else other than watching KZfaq

@stephc4427 2 жыл бұрын

OK so I watched this and spent (wasted) the last hour looking at Dirac's website and others tyring to sort out how to actually use this, what microphone to get (Dirac's site with recommended microphones is BLANK!) and directions and it is totally FRUSTRATING! This is NOT the way to sell product people! Cmon, make it easy for us jugheads to use. I'm not going to spend any money on this, even though I'm potentially very interested in it for two channel use on my system, until you make it ABUNDANTLY CLEAR as to how to install, set up and use. This shouldn't be rocket science.